Catalyst
by Kaytahn Rivers
Summary: It's been 3 years since Rose was left on that beach with her new Doctor. They are about to take their TARDIS on her first trip when they receive a message from someone familiar… The original Doctor is taking River on one final adventure when they are pulled to a parallel world where the TARDIS is now dying. Can they get help from some old friends?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Catalyst: (n.) A person or thing that precipitates an event or change****. All rights of Doctor Who belong to the BBC. I own nothing.**

* * *

_We all change when you think about it. We're all different people all throughout our lives. And, that's okay, that's good, you've got to keep moving, so long as you remember all the people you used to be... I will not forget one line of this. Not one day. I swear. I will always remember when the Doctor was me._

All things change in time. All things pass away. We cannot stop the passage of time or even run from it, though there are those who would try. It is strange and frightening, this change. But, what if for one moment we realized that we were the catalyst for our own change. Might it not be so frightening then?

* * *

**Catalyst**

_"I spent all that time trying to find you. I'm not going back now."_

_"But you've got to. Because we saved the universe, but at a cost. And, the cost is him."_

_Rose could not believe what she was hearing. He would leave her. Again. And, then her Doctor in blue had turned to her when she'd made that challenge. "How was that sentence going to end?"_

_Three little words. Just three, tiny, little words. And, her whole life changed. "I love you."_

Rose awoke startled. It was just a dream. But, no, it wasn't. It was a memory, one so grand and one so foul all at the same time. A memory now three years gone. Groggily she realized someone was trying to get her attention. The Doctor was bouncing excitedly on the bed beside her. She grumbled at him, never having been a morning person.

"Come on, Rose! Get up! Don't you know what day it is?" he told her animatedly.

This was her Doctor. Her very much human, and yet still so very Gallifreyan, Doctor. The one that had been left with her on the beach that day. Rose had to think for a moment. Was something special about today? Yesterday was Tuesday, not very exciting. Did they have plans coming up? Her birthday was last month.

And, then all at once it hit her. They had been married exactly one year today. She smiled, remembering. It was such a simple ceremony and she'd nearly had to wrestle him into it. But, he'd wanted to do right by the woman he promised to spend his life with.

She smiled at him, more awake now. "It's our anniversary."

The Doctor paused and put a hand on the back of his neck. "Oh, is it?" He looked a little nervous now. "Well, that's brilliant!" A slow smile began to spread on his face. "Absolutely brilliant timing. Oh, Rose Tyler you are going to love this!"

"You forgot our anniversary," she said in mock sternness. Honestly, she did not really care, it had just been a ceremony for her mum's sake really. For Rose, a more accurate anniversary was one that would commemorate the day a blue-eyed man in a leather jacket had taken her hand and said, "Run." But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy making her husband squirm a little.

"Well, I…" he started. "It's not that I forgot it, it's just… Oh, Rose, just wait, really, it'll be brilliant!" The manic grin was back. This man was much too awake in the morning. He was already fully dressed in a brown pin-striped suit and tie while she was happily still snuggled in nothing but the covers of their bed.

He was leaning over her, so Rose reached out and tucked a hand around his tie, tugging him closer to her. "Why're you all dressed?" she groaned to him, loosening the tie and moving on to undoing the buttons of his shirt.

"Rose, there is something I want to show you," he said, still distracted. She would have to try a bit harder.

"Oh," she purred, coyly looking up at him. "I can't wait to see."

"_Outside_ of this room," he tried.

"We can do this wherever you like," she winked. "There are lots of entertaining places to try." She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck pulling him very close to her now. He hovered just over her and Rose could see she now had the Doctor's undivided attention. There was adoration in the man's eyes but Rose wanted to do one better. She wanted to see a hunger there.

She placed a kiss on his jaw. "How about you show me this surprise," she moved her mouth to the hollow of his neck, "after breakfast."

She could feel his heartbeat increase. "After breakfast…" she moved a hand down to tug at his belt, loosening it. "Is great…" he finished with a groan.

Rose smiled. "Happy anniversary, Doctor."

* * *

Satisfied, showered, and dressed, Rose made her way to the kitchen of their flat. They had spent three years living in this small space together. She was surprised the Doctor had made it that long with all the walls. But the place was very open, one room flowing into the next, and all hardwood floors. No carpet and as few walls as possible. That had been the intention.

Walking into the kitchen, she found the Doctor making her the full spread and laying it out on the table. Rose couldn't help but smile, remembering how the Doctor had been when he'd first attempted to make something edible. More than once he'd ruined her appliances attempting to make them 'more functional' according to him. There were a lot of mishaps, but in the end they usually led to take out, laughter, and snuggling together watching a movie or him reading to her. Maybe it was not their old adventures, but it was home. Anywhere with her Doctor was home.

"Good morning… again," she said, coming over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

He gave her a quick kiss on the nose and a happy grin. "Breakfast for two coming up. Then we can get going."

"What's got a fire under you today? Are we doing something special?" She had not planned anything for him. Rose hadn't thought it would be that big of a deal to him and that they could just have a nice day in, maybe go out to dinner later.

"It's a surprise," he reminded her.

"Alright, alright. Day's free anyhow." Most of their days were free actually. Rose had worked under Pete Tyler at Torchwood for years now, mostly as a field agent. When the Doctor arrived on this world, he had started there as well. But as of a few months ago, the TARDIS they were attempting to grow had really taken off and the Doctor resigned his position and spent most of his time working on her. Though he would occasionally go in, if his particular expertise was needed to crack a project.

Having enough money saved up, Rose had dropped down to working only part time at Torchwood, preferring to help the Doctor on their beloved time machine. She was going to be fantastic, and Rose could not wait until she was ready to fly.

Rose helped the Doctor finish preparing their breakfast and sat down with him. She told him about her latest projects at Torchwood but really things had been quiet lately. Happily she did not have anything major upcoming. Lulls in this business were difficult to come by. Her phone began to ring as they were putting dishes away.

"Hi, Mum."

Jackie's voice came over the line. "Morning, Sweetheart. Wasn't sure if the happy couple would be out of bed on their anniversary."

"Mum!" she groaned. The Doctor looked over at her concerned. Rose waved and decided to leave the rest of the dishes to him, lest he might overhear Jackie.

"It's only natural, Darling. Made it through your first year married though, haven't you? You should feel proud. It's the most difficult part… Well, then there's…" Jackie continued her rambling but Rose was lost in her own memories. They certainly had had their rough patches as she and this new Doctor got used to each other. It had taken her some time to really accept that he was her Doctor. Not a clone or a copy. Same man, same memories.

"Yes, Mum, we're very happy," Rose said, drawing her attention back to her mother.

"Now, should I be worried about any half alien grandbabies?"

"Mum!"

"Can he even have babies?"

"Mum."

"Because I was talking to Charlene the other day…"

"Mum…" Rose was really not to keen on having this conversation with the woman again. It wasn't something that she was really ready to talk about. But her mother was still going on about some conversation she had. God, she could talk.

"Oh, look, here's the Doctor. Gotta go, Mum, love you, bye!" She hung up quickly before Jackie could say any more.

The Doctor walked in looking concerned. "Everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah, just Mum being her usual self. So, what is this surprise all about?"

Excitement shone in his eyes now. "I can't wait to show you."

"I have a surprise for you too, actually," Rose teased. Though, she was nervous, not sure what he'd think of it. "And, I bet it's actually a bigger surprise than yours."

"No, no, I'm pretty sure mine will be the bigger surprise!"

Rose only smiled. "Well, lead on then. Don't keep a girl in suspense." Grabbing her hand he led the way out the door and down a single flight of stairs to the flat below theirs. Rose guessed what the Doctor's surprise was then. They had taken the flat below theirs to house the TARDIS when she got big enough. It was a safe enough place to grow her, away from the prying eyes of Torchwood or UNIT. Strictly speaking they hadn't told anyone about her.

Inserting the key, the Doctor stepped in. It was a beautiful day in May and the windows were open letting clean, fresh air in. Rose took a deep breath.

"Close your eyes," the Doctor instructed her. He put a hand on the small of her back and led her forward. She heard the familiar creak of the doors and knew exactly where she was immediately, but didn't spoil it for her part Time Lord. "Okay," he breathed. "Open them."

Looking around, Rose could not help but gasp. It was _their_ TARDIS. Of course she had been in here before but never with the final touches all done. Their new TARDIS looked similar in shape to the old one on the inside. The column was a familiar sea green, casting a bright glow all around them. The columns still looked organic but smoother now, and white. The floor was no longer a metal grating but more clean lines with tile and rubber tread. The walls were smooth like the columns and the center console itself looked more organized but still somehow retained that grunginess the Doctor seemed to love so much.

"What do you think?" the Doctor asked.

"I love it," Rose told him giving him a broad grin.

He smiled, so happy, to have his box back and his girl with him, finally all together again. "She seems to have taken some of your design preferences to heart too, though retaining our old memories. Still a blue police box on the outside."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Doctor." Rose smiled and made her way around the room, circling the console and viewing it from every angle. It truly was amazing. She could not believe it had been three years since she'd truly been on a living, breathing, fully grown TARDIS. Oh, her heart ached for adventure. She wanted to_ run_ with the Doctor, go anywhere, be free again.

She ran over and threw her arms around the Doctor's neck. He picked her up and spun her in a circle before setting her back down. "Welcome home!" He laid his forehead against hers, arms wrapped around her waist. The Doctor opened up his mind slightly to hers allowing her to feel his emotions, to feel is contentment holding her aboard their own TARDIS.

They stood like that for hours, or maybe it was mere moments, Rose was unsure. Finally the Doctor lifted his head and said quietly, "Would you like to see the rest of her?" He grabbed her hand and pulled her along at her nod. They passed a wardrobe, kitchen, game room, library, infirmary, and the coziest bedroom Rose could ever imagine. She could not wait to explore the rest of the ship. They hadn't even scratched the surface with those rooms. It was all so very familiar and so very new.

Returning to the control room the Doctor's eyes turned a little sad. "What is it?" she asked, placing a hand on his cheek.

He pulled out his sonic screwdriver. This one was different in design than what he'd carried when she first met him. The light was still blue and the casing still silver but it was bulkier and longer. This TARDIS had replaced his beloved little device. He used it to scan the console.

"Her life… is shortened. The process that was used to accelerate her growth cannot be stopped now. She will have a short life compared to other TARDISes."

"How long, do you think?" Any time with her was better than nothing at all as far as Rose was concerned.

"She'll probably last a hundred years? Give or take a few years. About how long I suspect you and I have." He had run diagnostics on both of their systems and found that both of their lifespans would extend beyond a normal humans, though not by too much.

"It all works out then, yeah?" she told him. "We'll have her with us, go on as many adventures as we can. Didn't you once say it wasn't how long the life is but how much life is lived in the years you did have?" Rose placed a kiss on his forehead. "We will have so many adventures. And, when we've all lived an amazing life, then we'll move on together." She intertwined her fingers with his.

The Doctor smiled. "Rose Tyler, I love you." Her breath caught a moment. She was not sure she'd ever get used to hearing him say that, but that was completely fine with her. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Where would you like to go?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "It's been far too long since you asked that question. Where should we go for our first ever trip? Is there a tradition to this?"

The Doctor turned and began running around the console in a way that was so achingly familiar. Oh, she had missed it. She had missed it so very much. He pulled levers, pushed buttons. The time rotor began to move up and down and she could hear the engines as they dematerialized. Oh, that sound. It brought tears to her eyes.

He made some final adjustment and came back over to her. He was alive. Rose had seen the Doctor happy in the past few years, but none of it could compare to this moment as he pulled her into his arms and whispered, "Thank you," in her ear.

"Maybe we should let the TARDIS decide her first destination," Rose suggested as he held her.

The Doctor was about to say something when there was a sound at the door. Rose and the Doctor looked at each other. "What was that?" she asked.

Warily he walked to the doors. "Police Public Call Box," glowed backwards above the opening. There was a sound again, almost a scraping. Rose walked to his side and he opened the door.

A small cube floated mere inches from his face. "What is that?" she asked.

The Doctor stood seeming mesmerized. "This… this is a Time Lord message."

The floating, glowing white cube was from a Time Lord? But, how?! Were there Time Lords in this world? If so, they had never met any. The Doctor was holding the device to his ear. Something changed on his face. "Who is it from?" she asked.

"Me," he breathed.


	2. Chapter 2

_It seemed inadvisable to the Doctor to sit in the glowing light for as many hours as he did, yet he couldn't seem to tear himself away. The light was a comfort… and a burden. He stood up and pulled his tweed jacket from the back of his chair, slipping it over his shoulders._

_The Doctor reached forward, towards that glowing light. It's funny the things you think about when it's all about to come to an end..._

He had changed into his very best, black coat with tails, pristine white bowtie, and top hat. He straightened his bowtie one more time, not being quite satisfied with it. She deserved his best.

The Doctor looked down at the device he had been avoiding. The sonic screwdriver was different than any he had ever used himself. The tip was blue and the majority of the device was silver with some gold accents. The finger loop was definitely something new. It could be keyed specifically for her. It was different but it was River.

The TARDIS had presented him with the device this morning. The Doctor had cringed at the sight. He double checked the neural relay imbedded within. It was all there and if his ship was correct, and he knew better than to doubt her, it was time to give River this screwdriver.

He held the device up in his hands reverently and laid his forehead upon it. "Oh, River…" he whispered. He was not ready to say goodbye, but he could only run so long. The Doctor pulled a lever on the console and slipped the sonic screwdriver into his jacket next to his own.

* * *

River took a deep breath as she headed back to her office. It was officially the last day of term. She had finished up teaching all of her classes a few days ago and got all the grades sent in. Even for the professors, last days were a breath of fresh air.

Stepping through the doorway, River was surprised to see a familiar man sitting in her chair. "Hello, Sweetie," she said with a broad smile.

"Professor River song." How that man always managed to sound flirty when he greeted her, she would never know, but always love.

The Doctor was dressed in his best. Sharp black suit, pressed white shirt. She moved forward to straighten his already perfect bowtie. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just a date. I thought you wouldn't mind a date." He seemed happy to see her, but a little distracted, too. "Are you cleaning out?" the Doctor looked around and noticed her sparse office.

"End of term. And, I have an expedition to lead later this summer." she told him.

"But it's Christmas…"

"No, Sweetie, it's June," she corrected. "But we can celebrate Christmas if you'd like."

The Doctor shook his head as if to clear it. "June, right, I knew that." He held out a hand to her. "Care for a date, River?"

She took his hand and he led them to the TARDIS standing proud in the corner of her office. River ran a hand down the side of the blue box relishing the feel of the sentient ship so close. She missed the TARDIS when it had been too long since she'd seen her.

River stepped into the bigger on the inside box and headed to the console where the Doctor was already standing. "Where are we then, Doctor?"

"I've done Lake Silencio. Twice. Pandorica?"

"Ages ago," she told him. River put a hand on his cheek. "Hello, husband."

He smiled. "I have something for you. A gift. It's really from the TARDIS, I suppose. But, I do think you'll like it. I mean, you don't have to like it, if you don't want to, but I hope you will."

"Doctor," River stopped him, laughing. He could go on for ages if she let him, but she was curious what he was talking about. It was out of the ordinary for him to give her anything. Though, ordinary as it pertained to their relationship was a rather relative term.

He slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled something out. The Doctor held it for a moment before handing it to her. River took the metal object and looked it over. "Is this… Is this a sonic screwdriver?"

He nodded and happiness flooded through River. She had never heard of the Doctor sharing such a device with anyone.

That did not mean she couldn't tease him, however. "Is this for when you aren't around?" she grinned.

"Yes."

"You might have given it a smoother design then." He saw her grin broaden and finally caught her meaning.

"Smoother… No, wait. River!" She laughed at how flustered he got.

"Oh, I love making you blush."

"Time Lords don't blush," he informed her.

"You're right; we don't. So, what's your excuse?"

The Doctor shook his head. "River."A million emotions and memories were wrapped up in the subtlety of how he said her name. It sent a thrill down her spine but she rarely let it show.

"So, this date. Should I dress up then?" She indicated his outfit.

He raced around the console, setting a course for them. River moved to head to the adjoining hallway. "We're heading to the Singing-" He was cut off when the TARDIS suddenly lurched to the side.

"What'd you do?!"

"I didn't do anything! It's the TARDIS!" the Doctor said indignantly as she lurched again nearly throwing them both to the glass floor.

"You set the course!" River ran back over the console and began helping him fly her.

"We're being pulled off course. Grab that. I'm going to see if I can…" he moved two adjoining levers and the TARDIS shifted dangerously to the other side.

"Have I mentioned the stabilizers yet?" she yelled to him.

"Yes! And, we still don't have any!" he yelled back.

"They're the blue ones!" River pushed the blue buttons but they had no effect.

"You can't stabilize this," he told her. "We're being pulled out of normal time and space."

"What?!" Suddenly they were in freefall and her stomach dropped out. River hung on for dear life and the Doctor was doing the same on the opposite side of the console. It took sixty seconds and they hit the ground, hard. Every light went out around them. The TARDIS was dark and cold, all systems down.

"No, no, no, no!" The Doctor was scanning the center console.

"What is it?" River had never seen the TARDIS act this way. It was like her very soul had vacated the mechanical aspects of the ship.

"The TARDIS… she's dying." Agony shone in his eyes.

"We can figure this out. We can save her. Come on, let's figure out where we are." River ran and grabbed a jacket, her boots, and gun belt before joining the Doctor at the door.

He opened it and looked out. The TARDIS had landed on a rocky beach, large waves rolling in, ominous gray sky above. She watched as the Doctor headed back into the ship and pulled a small cube from a nearby hidden cabinet. He whispered something into it; her ears perked at the Gallifreyan. "Where are we?" River repeated, slipping the sonic screwdriver into her belt, next to her gun.

"Somewhere I promised I'd never return," he whispered, and set the cube loose.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: You all are wonderful! Thank you so much for your support, it means the world. Since we have both Doctors in it starting now, I've taken to calling them Ten and Eleven for narration purposes. I know that's not their technical regeneration, but that is what they are most easily recognized as. I still own nothing, which is probably best for our beloved show. Enjoy!**

* * *

"But, Doctor," Rose said, "How can the message be from you?" It didn't make any sense. Well, it didn't if she thought of their lives linearly. Having the TARDIS now, however, their lives did not necessarily run in the correct order any longer. "Is it from a future version of you?"

He stood in the doorway, not quite holding the cube; it floated just above his hands. They were somewhere in space; Rose did not have a clue where. He was still staring at it so Rose put a hand on his shoulder. "Doctor?"

"Sorry… right. Future self? I'm not so sure. Do you want to follow it?" he looked into her eyes.

Was that really a question? A mystery and an adventure. Even when only working for Torchwood they would not have turned that down. His response worried her. "We might as well see what you want," she told him.

The Doctor nodded vaguely. He moved to the console and began setting time and space coordinates. If it wasn't from a future self, then who was the little message from? It had floated outside the TARDIS now and Rose shut the door and sat on the floor.

It was watching it float away that it hit her. Could it be the other Doctor? The one that left? She shivered, hugging her knees. Why would he come back now? She had thought about him over the past few years. It was less frequent now than it was in those early days, but she still always hoped he was happy, had worried about how he was doing. She would look up some nights at the star filled sky and imagine him among them on some self-made mission.

"Rose?" she jumped slightly at the sound of her name. "We've landed." Her Doctor reached a hand down to pull her up.

He took a deep breath and opened the door to the TARDIS. Rose recognized that rocky beach immediately. "No!" She backed into the Doctor and he caught her. "No, anywhere but here. Please, I've had enough. I don't want to be here."

Why would the message from him lead them to this godforsaken beach in Norway? If it was from her Doctor, she did not want to know what that meant. If it was from the Doctor who left why would he call them here again? Did she even want to see him again?

Her head was buried in the Doctor's chest as he tried to soothe her. "Shh, Rose, I'm here." She had started shaking. "Rose…" he continued to whisper her name and run his fingers down her back. She soaked in his familiar scent, his strong arms around her, the calm of his voice. This man had gotten her through the worst nights of her life. He was her husband and would always be there.

He had promised.

Rose looked up into his face. His eyes held concern, compassion, and such deep love and it helped snap her out of the shock that had overtaken her. She took a shaky breath, embarrassed at her reaction. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"You don't need to apologize, Rose. I'm not thrilled to be here either." He laid a kiss on her forehead. "We can just go-"

They both turned at the sound of "Doctor!" from a male voice outside the ship. They looked at each other. It was not a voice either of them recognized. "Doctor!"

He held her closer for a moment. She took a deep breath and threaded her fingers through his. "Come on," she said more steadily than she felt.

They stepped out onto the sand, pulling the door closed behind them. They made their way around the TARDIS and Rose's Doctor stepped in front of her. She gasped as she saw the other TARDIS resting on the beach. Last time she saw that ship on this rocky beach…

Then her eyes noticed the man standing a few feet from it. He was dressed in a nice suit but it looked from centuries passed. The bowtie and tophat were a bit much. He looked so very young.

Her Doctor stepped forward. "Little bit of Donna must still be hanging around; I want to hit you."

The bowtie man looked indignant. "I left you here with what was most important!"

"Not for leaving! For coming back!" her Doctor yelled.

She came around her husband then. And the younger-looking man stopped. "Rose?" he said hesitantly.

Could this be…? Her husband looked at her. "The Doctor…" he told her quietly. She looked at him and then at this new man. This was really him?

She approached him. "Doctor?" Rose said quietly.

The eleventh Doctor smiled. "Hello again."

Rose reached forward to place a hand on his cheek but he flinched back. Her husband grabbed her and pulled her away. She turned hurt eyes to him. What did he think she was planning to do?

"You can't," he explained. "There are two different worlds colliding here, two parts of the universe that were never meant to touch. We cannot break that."

"Two parts of the universe that were never meant to touch…" the Eleventh Doctor repeated. "Like a crack in the wall…"

"Exactly," the Tenth Doctor said.

"How'd you know it was him?" Rose asked.

He tapped his right temple beneath his spiky fringe. "I can still sense Time Lords. I always know."

The man with the white bowtie was really the Doctor? He looked young, probably the same age as her. His eyes, though, they looked as old as ever. They look he gave her was one of a person utterly lost and vaguely hopeful if disbelieving. He must have regenerated but inside he was the same man, wasn't he? Rose's Doctor was the tenth or so she thought. That must make this other man the eleventh.

A woman stepped around the eleventh Doctor, then. She had very curly, wild, blonde hair. She looked directly at Rose's husband. "Hello, Sweetie."

The Tenth Doctor nodded slightly. "Professor River Song."

"You know her?" Rose asked.

"Oh, yes," River said.

Rose turned sharply to him. The Tenth Doctor held up his hands. "Rose, I met her once."

"Have we now? Spoilers." River turned to the other Doctor. "I don't recall you mentioning them."

"Uh…" the Eleventh Doctor waffled. "I'm sure I must've at some point."

"No, I'd remember you mentioning a Rose," River said.

Rose snapped out of her stupor watching them. "You never once mentioned me?!" Was she of so little importance to the Doctor? She had convinced herself that he'd loved her. That the reason he had walked away that day was out of love not neglect.

"It's… I didn't…. We need your help!" the Eleventh Doctor finally tried.

"Yes, why did you call us here?" Ten asked.

"Oh, we're not done with this," Rose informed him.

"No, we're certainly not," River agreed. Rose wasn't sure she was very happy with this woman agreeing with her on anything. Who was she and why was she travelling with her husband? Well, her husband's alternate self, but all the same.

"Nice outfit," Ten noted to Eleven. Rose didn't miss the sarcasm in his voice.

"Hey! Bowties are cool," he said, straightening the offending article.

"I was referring to the tails."

"Says the man wearing sandshoes!"

"We're standing in the sand," Rose said, indicating the beach. Eleven gave her a strange look. He almost looked pained that she'd defended his alternate self.

Ten shook his head. "Come on, Rose, let's get you something a bit warmer. We might be here awhile." The Doctor put a hand on the small of her back and led her back into the TARDIS. Rose suspected he was stalling any further comment but she would allow it for now. She needed to talk to him.

She went to the new wardrobe and slipped on a wine colored jumper and black leather jacket over some faded blue jeans. Coming back out, she found the Doctor looking down, hands on the console.

Rose laid a hand on the back of the Doctor's shoulder. He turned, looked into her brown eyes, and then pulled her to him. He brought his mouth to hers in a crushing, desperate kiss. The Doctor had one arm around her waist, anchoring her to him, and the other behind her neck.

It was unnecessary, she had no interest in pulling away. She wound her fingers in his hair, as she deepened the kiss and he growled low in his throat._ Mine,_ his actions said, and Rose was happy to oblige.

When he finally pulled away they were both gasping for breath, cheeks flushed. "I love you," she assured him as he rested his forehead on hers. _"I love you_," she repeated.

* * *

River rounded on the Doctor as soon as they entered the dying TARDIS. "You want to explain to me what is going on?"

"No," he said shortly as he headed to his wardrobe. River followed him.

"No? No! Who are they? Are we in your past?" she demanded.

Her husband sighed as he pulled off his jacket and searched around for his tweed. "This is not my past."

"Then who is that? He has your face. I've seen all of them; the TARDIS showed me. That was your last regeneration, wasn't it? Ten?"

He threw on a button down shirt and found more suitable trousers, River following him still. "Technically that out there is my twelfth regeneration. But, nevermind that, call him Ten. He isn't me… Well, he was, but isn't any longer."

River stared until he continued. The Doctor sighed. "We've crossed to a parallel world, an alternate universe, where decisions have created different realities than the ones we know."

"So, this is you from the parallel world, the man we met out there."

"Uh, no, not exactly. I came here accidentally once with Rose." River raised an eyebrow at him. "Rose Tyler," he explained. "I met her not too long after I ended the Time War, back in London 2005. She travelled with me for a couple years. I regenerated into a man that looked like the one you saw out there to save her life. Anyway, she was trapped in a parallel world after the Battle of Canary Wharf. This parallel world, actually."

He fell silent then. River vaguely remembered the Battle of Canary Wharf. The world had been flooded with Daleks and Cybermen… but something about her memory of it was off or blocked somehow. She had not realized the Doctor had been there but of course he was. He had never talked about it, maybe this was why.

"That still doesn't explain how you got here," she reminded him.

He looked at her a long moment while slipping on his tweed jacket. Finally, "She came back. I don't know how exactly. The walls of the universe started… breaking down, and she found a way through. During that time I was shot by a Dalek, well grazed really."

River was concerned before remembering he was safe and sound in front of her now. He dropped down and switched out of his dress shoes. "I regenerated, but aborted it partway through, siphoning off the excess energy into a my old right hand."

He held up a hand as he stood up and slipped on a red bowtie. "Don't even ask, that's a story for another day. But, I was fine and we went on to save the universe. But, another companion, Donna Noble, had touched that hand, causing a Human-Time Lord Biological Meta-Crisis. That is the man you see out there. He is another regeneration of mine, but walked away separate from me. He is part human, part Time Lord."

The Doctor's eyes became far away. "Before the universe closed again I left him and Rose here, to live their life however they wished. I could not give her what she sought. I had hoped he could," he ended quietly.

River tried to wrap her mind around it. She had heard of Donna Noble; he'd spoken fondly of her. She had been his best friend. Rose Tyler, though, he had not mentioned. Pain, she realized. It hurt him too much. He would blame himself. Obviously he had loved this young blonde. Jealously coursed through her.

"River?" he said, placing a hand on each of her shoulders.

"Is he you?" she finally asked. She searched the Doctor's eyes. She was surprised to see the raw honesty there. He did not often let others in.

"He used to be," he admitted. "That was two hundred years ago for me. We have lived our life since then," he said taking her hand. "I wouldn't change it, not one moment. Do you trust me, Dr. Song?"

There was still so much to be settled, but the man knew how to comfort her, she had to give him that. "With my life." She straightened his bowtie.

He smiled and took her hand, leading her from the wardrobe and through the frighteningly dark and lifeless TARDIS. They would be able to get her back. They had to. "Doctor, what could pull a soul out of a TARDIS like this?"

"I have a theory," he said grimly. "Let's hope I'm wrong." The Doctor led them out of the ship and onto the beach once again. It was a dreadful beach. Normally desolate places such as this could hold some beauty for River. She'd spent most of her life living in a prison; she could find beauty in almost anything. But, there was something empty and hopeless about this beach.

She saw the other Doctor, the Tenth, she decided to think of him, even though he technically wasn't, holding the hand of Rose Tyler. River saw the ring on Rose's left hand. They were married, she guessed. Though how protective of her he was told her far more.

The Doctor had clearly loved this Rose. It was the past, his past, over two centuries ago for him. River could not begrudge him his past, after all he had chosen to marry_ her_ and leave Rose with this part human version of himself. But, what were his feelings now?

"River," her husband called.

"Coming, Sweetie," she caught up to them.

The Doctors were discussing diagnostics of the TARDIS and tossing out theories, but it was Rose's quiet voice that gave them pause.

"Doctor… Was there always a statue on the beach?"

They all turned turned at once to see the stone angel standing innocuously near the dunes. The eleventh Doctor pulled out his screwdriver. "Don't even blink."


	4. Chapter 4

"It's just a statue," Rose tried to reason when the three around her stiffened.

"When you're looking at it," River said. They obviously all knew something Rose didn't.

"Weeping Angel," Ten said. "I've only encountered them once and never in this world."

"Then consider yourself lucky," Eleven said darkly.

Rose heard real pain behind the Doctor's voice. These creatures didn't frighten him, it seemed; they angered him. Who had he lost? "I don't understand," she said finally.

"It's a statue when you look at it," Eleven continued. "If you're eyes are on them, they become quantum-locked, literally turning to stone. It's a defense mechanism."

"They don't exist in this world," Ten insisted. "Keep your eyes on it and get back to the TARDIS."

"You said the two worlds could not touch," River noted.

"We're going to have to risk it and hope the TARDIS can hold the rift," Rose's husband told them. That did not sound encouraging.

They backed slowly to the TARDIS but the statue did not move. Opening the door, they all moved in. When River and the Eleventh Doctor stepped through, the lights flashed but after a moment returned to normal.

"It'll hold, and she can't get through those doors. Ha!" Eleven said triumphantly. He looked around. "I see you grew her up well enough. Did the fold-back harmonic resonance hold once you shatterfried the plasmic shell?"

"Sweetie," River said, placing a hand on Eleven's cheek. "Not now."

"But, River, another TARDIS! Aren't you curious?"

The Eleventh Doctor and this River Song were so familiar with each other; it made Rose a little uncomfortable. She wondered what the nature of their relationship was. More than a friend, she guessed. Was it fair, the hurt that wriggled its way into her belly? She had wanted happiness for him. Is this what she meant while gazing up at those stars all that time?

"How is there a second TARDIS?" River asked.

"Little piece of TARDIS coral," Ten explained. "We grew her. It wasn't simple but we managed."

Rose suspected they were going to launch into a technical discussion so she interrupted them. "What is that creature out there? I mean what does it do exactly? In all my years at Torchwood, we've never across anything like that."

"It sends you back in time. If it touches you, it send you back thirty or forty years, letting you live your life to death and feeding on the time energy that is created," Eleven told her. He talked a little different than Ten did. They were both energetic but this one seemed even more boyish, but his looks could be contributing to that.

"Seems a nice way to die," Rose told him.

The pain was back in his eyes. "Not if it takes you away from every person you hold dear only to wait decades to see them again, if ever."

"I guess I see your point." If she were taken from her Doctor now, Rose wasn't sure she could survive the loss one more time.

"The point is though," Ten said, "They shouldn't be here at all. They don't belong in this world."

"And, yet here they are," Eleven noted.

"Yes, and so are you. If you slipped through to this world, maybe they did the same way."

Eleven looked concerned. "And, what else has gotten through?"

Ten immediately began running around the console. "What are you doing?" River spoke up. "We can't just leave the TARDIS here!"

_BOOM!_ It sounded like something hit the TARDIS hard.

"What is that?" Rose asked.

"The angel, it's trying to get in, but this old girl can hold her off," Ten said fondly. "New girl," he corrected after a moment.

_BOOM!_

Rose was becoming concerned. Both Doctors were running diagnostics through the TARDIS console. "I don't want to leave the TARDIS," Eleven told River. "But even more important is finding where she really is now. Separated from her mechanical shell, she won't last more than forty-eight hours."

Forty-eight hours? The TARDIS would die? "She only has two days?" Rose asked.

"Two days to get her soul back, but we need to get her back to our universe as well," Eleven said. "She can't survive here long. But all of that is irrelevant if we can't get her back."

They continued their run about the console. "What are you looking for?" River finally asked.

"Something out of the ordinary…" Ten murmured. "Something that just shouldn't be there…Oh… Oh!"

"What is it?" Rose asked. The Doctors looked at a readout and then at each other.

"Huon," her husband whispered.

"Exactly," Eleven replied.

Rose and River were looking back and forth at the Doctors, and Rose could see that the other woman was as lost as she was. The two Doctors were as irritating in their brilliance as always.

Rose sighed. "Yes, and Huon is…?"

"Huon energy!" Eleven said excitedly. "A concentration of Huon energy."

Noticing his wife's irritation, Ten explained. "Huon energy was eradicated from the universe by the Time Lords. The only particles left in existence were that which already existed within the TARDISes. Concentrations of the energy can act almost like a magnetic pull. Happened once with Donna. There was Huon energy in her and we were able to pull the entire TARDIS to us. The first time it happened, though, she was pulled into the TARDIS. It was her wedding day actually. Oh, she was not happy."

River looked from herself to Rose and then at the Doctors. "How many weddings have you been to?"

"Been to? A fair few," Eleven said.

"Been the groom in, only a couple," Ten clarified.

"And the bride only once," Eleven mused.

"But let's not go there," the Doctors said together.

Rose shook her head. She really didn't want to know. "The wedding aside, what happened this time? Because the TARDIS is still here."

"The mechanical ship is, but her soul was pulled out with the concentration of particles. See that energy reading? _That_ is an energy transfer from the particles. We just need to follow it!" Eleven announced excitedly.

"The only trick is there are actually two different readings, so we will need to split up," Ten said.

"What about the angel?" Rose asked. The booming sound on the ship had stopped. Were they creatures that gave up?

"Nothing we can do about it now," Eleven said. "There is one energy reading showing up from an old redwood forest in North America, and the other looks like a factory in London. River and I can go explore the forest."

"I really think we need to split up the two worlds. I'm not sure alone we're seeing and experiencing everything. One person from each universe should go to each," Ten said.

"Fine," said Eleven. "Then I'll take Rose with me."

"No, you aren't taking Rose anywhere," Ten warned.

"Wasn't it your suggestion to split up? Don't you trust me?"

"You trust me to take care of River?" Ten challenged.

"I trust River to shoot you or anything else that annoys her," Eleven said confidently causing the woman to smirk.

"I can take care of myself," River suggested. "So, why don't you three go check out the factory and I'll take the forest."

"No, it's too dangerous," Eleven said. "You'll need one of us with you."

River looked irked but then smiled. "Fine, then I'll take Rose."

"No," both Doctors said together.

"Oh, no, I think this sounds like a brilliant plan," Rose jumped in. It might be interesting to have a chance to talk to this other woman. She suspected she would learn more about how the Doctor had been through River than the Doctor himself.

"This isn't a good idea," Ten said.

"Well, we don't have the time to waste if we _all_ went to check out one location and then the other," River said. Rose and River both crossed their arms and looked at the Doctors.

"Fine, we'll even leave the TARDIS with you," Eleven said. "Just drop us off."

"Wait, how are we going to fly it?" Rose asked.

River looked smug. "Oh, can you not fly the TARDIS?"

"River," the older Doctor jumped in. "Play nice."

Oh, this would be interesting indeed, Rose couldn't help but think. "Are we just going to leave the other TARDIS on the beach?"

"Nothing we can do to move her and we need to get her soul back," Eleven said. He set the coordinates for the Doctors drop point. After only moments the ship was taking off and then landing again.

River handed the man in tweed something. "Scanner and communicator."

"Thanks."

Rose approached her Doctor and he placed his hands lightly on her neck. "Be careful. Please, Rose."

"Come back to me, Doctor," she said and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. He pulled her in for a hug and then joined the other Doctor at the door. When they walked out, River set their coordinates and they took off.

* * *

The Doctors travelled through the darkened forests, torches casting a strange light around them. Ten's eyes were still stronger than a humans but he knew his older counterpart could still see better than him with his fully Gallifreyan physiology.

"So, is it as grand as we always thought it would be?" Eleven asked him.

"Is what?" Did he always jump in the middle of thoughts? Actually, yes, he probably did.

"Being human. Living the short, blazing life, doing the mundane domestic things," Eleven continued on.

The moon rose high above them, but the sky was dark, clouded. "Being human, er part human, is different than we imagined. They certainly are no stuffy Time Lords, but admittedly it was a… difficult transition at first. Rose helped," Ten admitted.

"Married her then," Eleven commented casually.

"Did you really expect any less?"

The man in tweed shrugged at that. Glancing at the scanner, the Doctors adjusted course slightly, heading uphill and to the east. "What about River, then? She knew our name when we met, and has two hearts, unless my ears are failing me in my age."

Eleven paused. Ten suspected it wasn't something he spoke of often and weighed the merit of telling him. It was a bit strange telling yourself and yet someone separate from you, these things.

"River is the daughter of two companions I travelled with recently. Don't ask me how, because I don't completely know, but conceived aboard the TARDIS, she took on some Gallifreyan qualities," he finally said.

"Can she regenerate?" Ten asked.

"She used to be able to… but not any more. A movement called the Silence kidnapped my companion while she was pregnant and cooked themselves a baby Time Lord."

"But why?" Ten did not understand why anyone would try to make one of his people or even begin to understand how.

"To kill me." Eleven said it casually, like commenting on the clouds in the sky.

"Sounds lovely. How did that turn out?"

Eleven smirked. "She succeeded once… and then brought my back to life by giving me all the regeneration energy from her remaining lives. But, that's River for you. The second time she tried to kill by a lake side and somehow we ended up married while time was dying around us. But, then that's me for you."

Ten gave him a sidelong look. "How old are you?"

"Twelve-hundred and something," he answered immediately but then paused. "No, hang on, eleven-hundred and something. Can't even keep track of my age any longer. How many clicks east have we travelled now?"

"Just two, scanner says its a little farther out. I admit, I'm not sure what we'll find out here. We may not be able to stop the TARDIS from dying," Ten warned.

"Dying. Ha. We're all doing that now, aren't we?"

"What did cause you to regenerate? Aren't you on your last life now?" he asked the older man.

"Saving Wilfred Mott's life after the Master came back. Again. But there's a long story and old history. I don't know if I can regenerate again. The energy is still there, I can feel it… but the longer I have spent in this body, the more I can feel it waning. This time, I really am dying I think."

Ten didn't bother to tell him he was sorry or offer up any other platitude. There was no point and they both knew it, so as always, they moved on. They had travelled another kilometer when something was caught in their torchlight ahead.

"What is that?" Ten asked. The light had shone on what looked like pale flesh. They sprinted over. Curled up in a crater, exactly where their scanner led them, was a young woman. She wore a dark blue knee-length dress, brown leather corset and boots. He immediately dropped down and felt for a pulse. She looked human.

He moved back as she suddenly opened her eyes. They were a startling blue-green, beneath dark brown, lightly curled hair.

"Who are you?" Eleven asked gently. And why are you sending off readings like the TARDIS, Ten finished in his head.

The girl looked bewildered. "Timeless," she suddenly spoke. "My name is Timeless."


	5. Chapter 5

River landed them near the Thames. They could hear the water lapping at the shore outside the TARDIS. Grabbing her scanner, River led the way out with Rose close behind her.

Rose seemed surprised. "When did we land?"

Confused, River told her within the last minute or so.

"But… it was silent."

"Oh, that man, always leaves the brakes on. The TARDIS isn't supposed to make that noise," River smiled.

"How is it you know how to fly the TARDIS?" Rose asked.

"She taught me," River told her simply. "I am a child of the TARDIS."

"And that means...?"

"I was conceived while flying through the time vortex. It gave me certain Gallifreyan quirks. What about you? Human?"

"Of course… now anyway. I might've taken the heart of the TARDIS into my own head once…" Rose mused.

"Ah, yes, the Doctor mentioned that." River stopped outside of an old factory. "This looks right."

"How do you know the Doctor?" Rose asked. She noticed their surroundings. These were not her modern day factories."Wait, when are we?"

"Mid 1860s at a guess," River informed her. River paused near the noisy factories. Workers were still milling about but they did not need to go inside. The signal she was getting came from a service access tunnel. It was dark, so she pulled out a torch she'd brought with her."I know the Doctor because I was raised to kill him."

Rose seemed taken aback, not that it was an unexpected reaction, River supposed. "But, why?" the young woman asked.

The tunnel around them dripped water on them every few meters. One hit River right on the top of the head and slid down her scalp making her shiver. "There are people all throughout the universe that would see a man that good and that brilliant brought down," she said sadly.

Rose mused on her words as they went further into the tunnel. "What was he like, when you met him?" River asked, curious.

"He was… sad," Rose said quietly. "He hid it behind rudeness much of the time but I could tell that he was sad. The Doctor seemed better when we went on adventures. I never wanted it to end, never wanted to slow down because I knew he'd start facing it again. I wanted to protect him from himself. He seemed capable to guard himself against everything else. He seems sad again, now. Do you know why?"

"My parents," River told her. "He lost them very recently. They were sent back in time in New York and they lived out their lives, but he never got to see them again."

"I'm sorry. Was it the angels?" Rose asked.

"Yes." River did not know quite how to take this young blonde. Rose is not at all what she would have expected a former love of the Doctor's to be. She wondered if his different regenerations lent to his preferences or not. The woman seemed… innocent. Maybe innocence was what he needed then. What concerned River the most, however, was that Rose had never met her but her Doctor did not seem that much younger than her own. River's time with the Doctor was coming to an end.

"How long have you known him?"

River could see a light at the end of old stone tunnel now. "I've heard about him ever since I was a child. I did not meet him until I killed him the first time. It wasn't until the second time I killed him that I married the man."

Rose stopped. "You're married? To the Doctor?"

River stopped as well and crossed her arms. "Yes." She watched the emotions run across Rose's face. Confusion and hurt battled for precedence before she finally dropped back to a neutral expression.

"Is… is he happy?"

"I do what I can to make him so," River said. It was impossible to know exactly what made the old Time Lord happy.

Rose looked deeply hurt again but did not seem to want to continue the conversation which was perfectly fine with her. River suspected the younger woman would corner the Doctor about this later. Served the man right.

They exited the tunnel, silent now, both women lost in their own thoughts. The tunnel stopped at a patch of grass, further from the Thames now and leading them out of the city. River dropped down and scanned the grass. "Burn patterns," she showed Rose. "Something was here." She pulled out her sonic screwdriver and scanned the marks.

Rose clutched at her abdomen as River turned to her."Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just feeling a bit sick," Rose said.

River looked down at the gun that was suddenly in her hand. It had obviously recently discharged but she had no memory of even unholstering it.

"River!" Rose shouted.

She whipped around to find Rose standing with a hand still on her belly. "What?" River asked.

Rose looked confused. "What?"

"Oh, no," River whispered. She pulled out her communicator. "Doctor." He answered and immediately started talking without preamble. She listened and then said, "Wait, you found what?" She turned to Rose. "They found a girl."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Of course they did."

"River!" the Doctor was shouting through the communicator. "What was that shot?"

"What shot? Did I shoot something?" She looked down at her gun again; this really wasn't good. "Doctor, we found a burn pattern here. Clearly something was here but it's been moved."

He shouted her name again. "I know we still have the TARDIS. But, Doctor… I think we're under attack."

* * *

"We've got to get to London. Now!" Eleven shouted to Ten, closing communications with his wife. It was extremely disconcerting to hear her shooting and not remembering. She kept repeating some things. The Silence, it had to be. He would not let them take her again.

"How are we going to get there? The ladies have the TARDIS," Ten noted. He was trying to get Timeless to say more but she was mute, eyes empty and lost. She stood next to him now, the edges of her dress frayed. She looked like she had been in the woods for weeks.

Eleven growled. "I don't care how we do it but we need to get there, now. The Silence are here."

"What are the Silence?"

"The ones that turned River into what she was. You can't remember them when you look away."

"Another creature in this world that doesn't belong here."

"A puzzle to solve later," the Eleventh Doctor said. He pulled Timeless to her feet as gently as he could quickly. They had scanned her with the sonic screwdriver but the only information it provided was that she seemed more or less human and was dying.

They made their way back down the hill in the dark heading back towards their rendezvous point. There was too much distortion in this part of the forest for the TARDIS to pick them up here. It was unlikely that there just happened to be a girl in the middle of the woods who gave off readings similar to the TARDIS. His younger duplicate was attempting to help her along but she was tiring and after only a kilometer, she could not go on.

Frustrated, Eleven scooped the girl up in his arms. She was such a tiny thing. Ten gave him a wary look but kept the torch shining a path before them. They really didn't know what Timeless was but they both guessed that she was part of the TARDIS's consciousness.

"If she does contain a manifestation of the TARDIS's soul, she doesn't have long," he whispered to Ten.

"It doesn't change our deadline," Ten said. "I've never heard of a TARDIS taking a form like this. A physical body cannot sustain her."

"I've seen it once," Eleven told him. "She was ripped out and put in a body, but she began to die quickly. That body already existed, however." Was Timeless a girl who had the random misfortune to be up on a mountain in a redwood forest where part of the TARDIS's soul went. Or, did the ship actually create her itself? And, how?"

Eleven shook his head. "More to figure out later once we know River and Rose are safe."

They made it back to where they started much faster than it took them originally but there was no one there. "River…" He tried calling her on the communicator but she didn't pick up.

"Where are they," Eleven growled frustrated. He put Timeless down.

* * *

River and Rose ran through the tunnel trying to avoid slipping on the stones. "What is that thing?" Rose shouted to her.

No, no, she really was not inclined to answer that question again. Their entire conversation had been going in circles as they ran through the tunnel back to the TARDIS. River took a couple shots every time she looked back, but if it weren't for the failing power supply on her gun she would have no clue that she had done this more than once.

Turning to take another shot, River's foot slipped on one of the stones and she fell hard. Rose stopped and reached out to haul her up. As Rose's hand touched her arm the world around them blazed white; they were standing in literally nothing. It was like being in the emptiness of space but without even the hope of stars.

As soon as River was on her feet, Rose let go. "What is that?!"

"The two worlds cannot touch. Come on." River didn't see anything behind her. She wasn't entirely sure what they were running from but they were running, which usually had a good reason. She breathed a happy sigh when they came in view of the TARDIS. Rose pulled out a key, opened the door, and they both ran in. Rose fell to the floor panting. "I have absolutely no energy. I must be in worse shape than I thought."

River set the TARDIS in flight and then leaned over Rose to check on her. She was leaning back, her head resting on the console, cheeks flushed pink. "Are you getting sick?"

Rose shook her head. "Maybe, my energy has been down lately." She pulled herself up when the police box landed with the gentlest bump. The Doctor ran in through the doors. He pulled River into a tight embrace.

Over his shoulder, River spied the younger Doctor walk over to Rose and brush the back of his hand over her flushed cheeks and confer with her quietly. "Are you okay?" the Eleventh Doctor asked.

River waved him off but she was secretly pleased for the attention. "I'm fine, though Rose seems a bit winded." She looked past him and saw a girl just outside the TARDIS. They turned and watched as she stepped through the doorway and every light in the TARDIS flashed; they heard an ominous hiss.

"I don't think our ride is thrilled about your latest stray," River noted.

"River Song, Rose Tyler, meet Timeless," Eleven said as Ten moved the TARDIS again.

River studied the young girl. Fair skin, ruby lips, upturned nose, blush on her cheeks. She was pretty in a fairy-tale princess sort of way. But, her stunning blue-green eyes looked almost vacant. River didn't trust her. Something felt… off about the girl's energy. "Who is she?"

"We're not sure," Eleven confessed. "We suspect she contains part of the consciousness of the TARDIS."

If that were true, River would have expected the TARDIS they were on to react in a less negative fashion. But, there was another concern on her mind.

"The Silence and the weeping angels. Why are they both here? And, why did they both chase us to the TARDIS and then just leave? That isn't like either group."

"I was thinking the same thing," her husband noted.

They were interrupted when Rose's phone rang. Weren't they in the 1800s still?

"What?" Rose was saying. "Mum, calm down. Tell me again… Oh, no. We'll be right there." She turned to Ten. "It's my brother, Tony. He's hurt. We have to get back."


	6. Chapter 6

Rose chewed the inside of her cheek as the TARDIS made its way through the time vortex back to their time. She could not imagine something happening to her little brother. She loved that kid. The Doctor did too, she could see it in the set of his jaw.

Ignoring River and the other Doctor now, Rose ran out the doors as soon as the TARDIS landed. She was so grateful the Doctor had soniced her phone into a super phone like she had owned when they travelled together originally so her mum could get in touch when needed.

He had landed them in the backyard of her parent's mansion and she stopped short on her way to the doors. Playing in the yard was Tony, with their mother sitting on the porch drinking her tea. Rose looked at the Doctor but he seemed as dazed as she was.

"Well, what are you two doing here?" her mum said when she noticed them. "You're always welcome but if you phoned first, it would help."

"Mum what day is it?"

"Your anniversary. I'm not congratulating you again, sweetheart."

"Rose!" Tony torpedoed into her legs, a bundle of endless seven-year-old energy. Rose dropped down and looked him over. He seemed perfectly fine. She kissed his blonde head and tried to act normal.

"Hey, it's good to see you."

"Rose, you wanna play? I have new swing!" He pointed proudly to the new piece hanging from a nearby tree. "Doctor!" Tony next ran to her husband. "You want to play, too?"

"Oh, I see you got your box working," her Mum nodded to the TARDIS sitting on the lawn. Tony's eyes got huge, but their mother cut him off before he even got a chance. "No."

"But Mum!"

The Doctor dropped down on a knee and whispered conspiratorially, "I promise you can go on a trip, but your sister and I are making sure it's safe first. But, another day, promise." Tony gave him an impromptu hug.

"Who's that?" Jackie asked, noticing River and Eleven stepping out of the TARDIS.

Rose and Ten looked at each other. "Uh… he's um…"

"A couple of friends," Rose said smoothly. "This is Professor River Song and her husband."

"But, we were all just leaving. We'll see you later, Jackie," Ten said before anyone had a chance to say any more.

"Come round for dinner!"the woman called. They waved noncommittally and headed back for their ship.

Hustling the others back into the TARDIS, Rose turned to her Ten. "How can he be okay? Do you think we've come back to the wrong time?"

"I suppose it's possible. May I see your mobile?" She handed it over. "Uh, Rose. The last call you made on this was talking to your mum this morning at breakfast."

"What?" He showed her. "But, that's not possible!"

The Doctor scanned it with his sonic screwdriver. "It hasn't been tampered with. But, we heard it ring earlier, heard you talking to your mother! What is going on?"

"Anything we can do to help?" River asked.

Ten shrugged. "Any ideas?"

Eleven scratched his head with his sonic. "I think someone was trying to draw us back to this time. I doubt your little brother was ever in any danger at all."

"How could someone do that?" River asked.

Timeless started to hum behind them. Rose jumped. She had forgotten the girl was even in the TARDIS with them. It was a creepy, haunting song. She was mumbling the words under her breath. Between the stress of the day and the serious worry that her little brother was injured in some time without her there, Rose had to stop herself from seriously snapping at the creepy Timeless.

Ten must have caught her expression. He laid a hand on each other shoulders. "We'll figure this out, I promise." He kissed her forehead.

The lights around them dimmed. "Low on power," Eleven noted.

"We'll have to take her Cardiff, get her refueled over the rift. She isn't used to being out yet, should've probably taken her there first, but got a message from a certain Time Lord and Rose thought we should check on you," Ten said.

"Well, I'm glad Rose is nice then," Eleven winked at her.

Ten set the TARDIS into motion. "There we go," he said once they felt the final bump of landing. "Cardiff, roughly fifty years in the future."

"Why move time zones?" River asked.

"Someone wanted us in that time, trying to draw us in. To what I don't know, best simply throw them off," Eleven explained.

"We could be here for a bit." As Ten said that, Rose gave him a meaningful look. "Uh, Timeless, River, would you like to get something to eat?"

River raised an eyebrow at them but looking between Rose and Eleven she caught on quickly. They both gently hauled the still mumbling Timeless down the hall.

Eleven looked wary to be alone with her. He almost seemed to Rose to be avoiding her. She sat on the rubber and tile floor next to him. Rose wanted to playfully bump his shoulder but after her experience with River, she didn't think it worth the risk of collapsing the multiverse.

After a moment of awkward silence, he finally cleared his throat. "So, uh, how are you doing, then?"

"Uh, good. Really good… yeah," Rose said lamely. "Still getting into all sorts of trouble?"

"Trouble? Me?" Rose just looked at him. "Well, I suppose."

They fell into silence again. How long had she waited to be able to talk to the Doctor again? Rose had gone over and over in her head what she would say to him in this moment, alone with the Time Lord. It was a moment she had convinced herself would never happen. And, now that she had the chance, she could not think of what to say.

Rose only had a few minutes before the others would come back so she finally burst out the one question she needed an answer to more than any other. "Why?"

Her voice broke so she started again. "Why did you leave? You- you left! You walked away. And, then chose to be with someone else."

"Rose…" He seemed lost for words, but this was an opportunity she was likely to never have again.

"Doctor. Did you ever care for me?"

His eyes grew wide. "You know I did. I just wanted you to have the best chance at happiness possible. I never exactly intended there to be two of me. You would have had to choose one of us in the end. And, he truly is me… I left- I left because I cared for you more than anything else. I couldn't give you that human life, that last great adventure. But, _he could_. That's everything I wanted for you."

"But, River-"

"My life and relationship with River has been something different than what we were. The decisions I have made since that day do not diminish how I felt." He turned so he was facing her fully. "You are still so brilliant and so beautiful." He fell silent looking into her tear filled eyes.

They both had changed so much. It had only been a few years for her, and several hundred for him. But, each of them had changed in large ways and small. She was so glad that she had her Doctor, her beloved part-human husband. She remembered this man's words from earlier in the day, shouted at the man he had left behind, _"I left you with what was most important!"_

This man was different than the one who had walked away, but she could not deny that she loved him still. It was complicated, so very complicated. She loved both. And, at the time she might have wanted to change it, to chase this man down. But, she saw now that he had lived his life and she had lived hers. He was unable to give her himself so he had tried to do the next best thing.

It still hurt, but it was something.

Tears flowed down her face now. "My Doctor." She laughed brokenly. "My brilliant Doctor. My hero."

"No, Rose, you were my hero. The one who saved me when I was so very lost," he whispered. The Doctor reached a hand up to wipe away her tears only to realize he couldn't. His eyes softened.

"Rose Tyler… I love you. I always have."

For a moment, Rose's heart simply forgot to beat. How long had she waited to hear him say that? He smiled at her now, gentle and sad. No matter what had happened in the past, no matter where the future would lead next, Rose would remember this. They would forever be on separate paths, but she would always know that he loved her. That was enough.

"I love you, too," Rose told him softly.

Eleven and Rose jumped as the lights brightened around them, the TARDIS back to full power. They turned and stood as River and Ten came back in, Timeless trailing in their wake.

Ten glanced at Rose and she gave the slightest nod. She was okay. He clapped his hands together, "Right, next order of business, finding the other part of the TARDIS conscious."

"How are we going to go about that?" River asked. Timeless was back to her whispering in the corner near her. "And, what about this one?"

"Well, I have a handy little device here. It should go ding when it finds the consciousness!" It dinged. "Oh, that was faster than I expected…" Ten mused.

"Where is it?" Eleven asked.

"Right above us…" They all looked up as though they could see something through the TARDIS roof.

"The signal is coming from above us?" Rose asked.

"Ship in orbit," Eleven guessed.

"Tick Tock," Timeless said from her corner.

Ten moved over to her. "Tick Tock?"

She turned her strange blue-green eyes to him. "Tick Tock, goes the clock. Time is running out."

The ship around them began to move. "We're not in flight!" River shouted, pointing out the still time rotor in the center of the console.

"No, we're caught in a chronon loop," Eleven said checking the readings. "Ship in orbit?"

"I guess we're about to find out who stole her and why." River checked the readings, her face looking grim.

"What is it?" Rose asked. Last time this had happened, they had been pulled to a dalek ship. Could it possibly be something worse than that?

River and Eleven exchanged a look. "It's the Silence. They've pulled us onto their ship."


	7. Chapter 7

"No," River whispered. Why could she never get away from the Silence? They had ruled her life for too long. She would not allow them to dictate one more moment. Eleven subtly moved closer to her as they stood in the TARDIS. He looked at her and slipped his hand into hers.

"Who are the Silence?" Rose asked.

"Religious order with one dedicated purpose," Eleven said. "Silence."

"Silence of what?"

He took a deep breath. "Me."

Ten looked from River to Eleven. "Stay here, we can deal with this."

"Doctor!" a woman's voice shouted loud enough to be heard inside the TARDIS.

Timeless started to rock back and forth.

"No," Eleven said. "We'll have to all go out. I don't want them trying to get inside this TARDIS if they sense more life signs within." He led the way, still holding her hand and Rose and Ten followed suit. After a few moments, Timeless followed them to the door. Taking a deep breath, they walked out.

Eleven paused as they stepped out. River saw that they were on a large ship, nothing like what she had ever seen with the Silence or Madame Kovarian. "This is… the Papal Mainframe," her husband said.

Lined down the length of the ship as far as they could see, were soldiers and the creatures in suits, River had come to assume were the Silence. They seemed very familiar to her and a face that ugly, she doubted you'd forget.

"What are those things?" Rose asked.

"Exactly what was chasing us in those tunnels," River told her. Or were they herding her and Rose? River doubted they had just gotten away from those creatures that easily.

A woman walked down the center aisle created by the soldiers. She wore a long bluish frock. "Hello, Doctor. You've been bad again."

She was looking at Eleven so he spoke up. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met."

"No? Must be early in your time stream then," the woman said.

"Tasha Lem," Timeless whispered.

Tasha smiled. "Ah, of course you would recognize me." She turned back to the bowtied Doctor. "Give us the girl and we will be happy to trade back what you're seeking here."

River was confused. How would the Silence know what they were looking for? And, how did Timeless, who could barely utter a word, recognize this woman?

Eleven's eyes grew hard. "You are not taking River. Not now, not ever."

Tasha laughed. "We have no use for her." She focused her eyes on the young girl, mumbling, hiding behind them. "That one."

"Why Timeless?" River asked.

Tasha laughed delightedly. "Timeless? Oh how fitting a name."

"Tick Tock," Timeless whispered. "Time is running out."

"Yes," Tasha said. "It most certainly is."

Whatever the girl was saying, she was right about them running out of time. They needed to get back the TARDIS's consciousness back to her shell. She and Rose must have only been minutes behind the Silence when they stole it originally.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Timeless would find you," Tasha mused.

But, Timeless didn't find them. _They_ went looking for _her_. Didn't they? Their life was making less sense than usual lately and that really was saying something.

"What do you want her for?" Ten asked.

Tasha didn't answer. In fact she acted as though she hadn't even heard. River repeated his question and this time Tasha did notice.

"Timeless is of great importance to us in the goal of keeping the universe safe and out of another bloody war. Do the right thing and let us take what we need."

"No," Eleven said, standing before her.

"You have no idea what Timeless is, do you?" Tasha tutted. "I was willing to make a trade. Don't make this any harder than it needs to be."

"The rift," Ten said quietly behind River.

"What?" she asked.

"The rift. We exist in two different universes. We're all walking it like the crack in a sidewalk. Tasha Lem cannot see or hear Rose or me. She is someone from your universe. The Silence and the weeping angels. They are coming through that crack."

"Well?" Tasha said.

"Well, what?" Eleven replied.

"Are we doing this the easy way or the hard way. Why must you be such a difficult Time Lord? Mmm, it does make it fun, though."

"You know what Timeless is?" Eleven tried.

Tasha sighed. "Hard way, then." She flicked her hand towards the soldiers.

River could feel the pulse in the air before it hit. "Transmat!" But, they were already teleported away.

* * *

Rose looked around as River, Eleven, and Timeless all disappeared from around them. Ten pulled her to him and they backed around the TARDIS. "What just happened?" she hissed to him.

"They were teleported to different parts of the ship. Now we need to find them, Timeless, and the TARDIS consciousness."

"What makes you think River and the Doctor were separated from Timeless?" Rose asked.

Ten held up his sonic screwdriver and listened to the buzzing for a moment. "The transmat was sent in two different directions."

He proffered the device to her like she might be able to interpret it. "I'll take your word for it." The army of the church was ignoring the TARDIS now which surprised her. "Do we need to worry about our girl here?"

"She should be fine. She is technically from our universe, though she's been holding the rift which is how they noticed her at all. They can see her, but they don't want to. They should ignore her unless she does something obvious, you know, like fly," he told her.

"So, saving them on foot it is."

"Until we're ready to leave, yes."

Rose had no idea where to start. She would rely on the Doctor for that. She took a single step and hissed as nausea swept through her. Rose put a hand to her abdomen. Now was really not the time.

"Rose?" her husband looked concerned.

She waved him off. "I'm fine. Lead on."

"What makes you think I know where to go?" he asked innocently.

"Oh, you always know."

He smiled at her faith and led in the direction the soldiers headed. Holding out his buzzing sonic, he followed an invisible trail like a bloodhound. "The strongest reading I'm getting is this way."

Rose eyed the rifles the men around them held. "And, you're sure they can't see us?"

"Positive," he affirmed. "Although, I don't recommend letting one bump into you. I'm not entirely sure how the multiverse would react."

They rounded a corner into a massive room full of men and women milling about. "Right. Easy," Rose quipped. They wove their way through the crowd unnoticed when a thought struck her. "Doctor, if the Silence cannot see or hear us and are technically in the other universe, how could they have sent a call to my phone that would make me think Tony was hurt?"

"I don't think that was them."

"Then, who could have done that?"

"Who indeed?" he asked. "Who could have the power to draw two universes together, not collapsing either but walking the crack that separates them, existing in both worlds at once?"

He had figured something out, or was still working on it, but she could tell the Doctor was putting the pieces together and something in his expression worried Rose. He almost looked sad.

"Here," he said stopping them. They had paused before a doorway with some sort of laser shielding. The room beyond the red beam was crisp white and small, holding a single object on a pedestal in the center.

The object was a container about as long as her forearm and wide enough that she'd need both hands to get around it. It was clear glass and inside a golden swirling mist glowed. "It's beautiful," Rose whispered.

"That there is the true consciousness of our TARDIS," Ten said proudly as if announcing his own child. "Now, if we can just get inside…" He scanned his sonic screwdriver along the wall, the blue light glowing. "Ha!" he said triumphantly as the red laser dropped.

Immediately an alarm began to sound. "Best hurry."

Rose ran in. When she placed her hand on the glass the golden mist within the container shined so brightly it lit the entire room, washing them in warm golden glow. "Someone missed you," her husband said fondly. She grabbed the container and held it to her breast, following him out.

"Now what?" she yelled over the blaring siren.

* * *

"Well, we would not have gotten into this mess if you hadn't landed us on that beach in the first place," River noted to a pacing Doctor.

"I didn't _land _us on that beach. We crashed!"

"Which is about how all of your driving ends up," River teased. "What are we even still doing in this cell?"

"Appearing to cooperate," he told her.

"Oh, please, this 'Tasha Lem' said she knew you, therefore she already knows better than that." A siren began blaring throughout the ship.

"Fair point!" They both pulled their sonic screwdrivers out and aimed it at the laser cell door.

Nothing happened.

"Deadlocked. Why is it always deadlocked?" Eleven grumbled.

"Probably because someone set off the alarm." River pulled out her scanner and ran it along the doorway. "Here." The instrument indicated there was a weak spot in the coding. She pulled out her gun and fired. The shield lifted. "Yep, definitely a weak point."

"Have I ever mentioned you are very handy to have around?"

"Mm, I'd love to show you what I can do with my hands later. Though, I'm even better with my mouth," she promised. "Still have those handcuffs?" She laughed as his steps faltered entirely and brushed past him. Thankfully they had been transported directly to the cell and she had never been disarmed. They assumed the Doctor and his companions wouldn't carry weaponry. Amateurs.

"We should locate Timeless," Eleven said, recovering. He pulled out his sonic and led the way. River was curious how many different functions the device had. She looked forward to discovering it with her own. She was still surprised by the gift.

"This way!" he announced.

Leading further into the prisoner containment area of the Papal Mainframe ship, they found an interrogation room. Inside a sharp-eyed Timeless was watching Tasha Lem circle her, wary. River had never seen the girl appear so astute. This could make her dangerous.

River dispatched two guards with her gun on stun outside the room, still holding the sonic in her other hand. The Doctor entered the room. "Hello again, Tasha. Timeless, let's go." He grabbed the girl's arm.

"Doctor, you don't know what Timeless really is," Tasha warned.

"I think I'll take my chances." He held up his sonic screwdriver high above his head as guards surrounded them.

"What are you doing?" River asked.

"Calling our ride," he said as the TARDIS materialized around them, Ten at the controls. "Did you get it?"

Rose proudly held up a container glowing with a golden mist. "Fantastic. Get us out of here."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I apologize in advance for the fluff. I was in a fluffy mood! Thank you again everyone for taking the time to read. I hope you've enjoyed so far! As always, I own nothing.**

* * *

The sound of waves crashing against the rocky beach was punctuated by one beloved blue police box coming to land on the sand right next to where the other one still stood. Inside, joy reigned as Rose triumphantly set the TARDIS consciousness onto their console. Eleven watched as she closed to her eyes, still holding her hand as close to the swirling golden mist as allowed. He could feel her and that consciousness communicating on a deep but unknowable level. Finally, Rose dropped her hand from the glass.

The young blonde woman turned and smiled at him with her broadest smile, tongue poking between her teeth. It still took his breath away. Eleven looked between River and Rose. Both women glowed with a happiness that he was so very grateful to see.

His dearest Rose. The woman who had saved him from himself and taught him love and innocence when he had lost both. She saw right through all his grumpiness and shortcomings and allowed him to heal by simply taking his hand and promising to never let go. How very long ago that had been and oh how young were they both. He had to smile.

Rose Marion Tyler. "Run," he had said, taking her hand. There was no better decision he could have made in his life than that moment. They ran on so many worlds, laughing the entire way. And, then they were surrounded by dalek ships. The choice was impossible and he refused to make it. Never again would he kill millions to save billions. He faced his death.

And, then, like a goddess she appeared in the TARDIS. Impossible. She saved his life, saved all their lives. Brave, brilliant Rose Tyler.

None of it, though, would even compare to the moment he saw her on that dark, abandoned street. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" He hadn't dared to believe, not until he saw her himself. And, even then. "It's me…" As if he could have ever forgotten her.

Eleven looked to Rose now, standing in her and his other self's TARDIS. She leaned into the spiky-haired man's chest, whispered something up into his ear. He smiled fondly down at her and placed a kiss on her forehead. She glowed with happiness. A part of him ached, would always ache, to see her held by another, even one that looked like he once did. A part of him would always belong to Rose Tyler.

Turning away, River caught him. They were on the far side of the console. She trailed a finger along his cheek and jaw line. "Such sad eyes, my love."

"Some things will always make one sad," he said soberly.

There was patience and compassion in River's eyes. This was far more than he deserved. He truly, deeply loved his curly-haired, part-Time Lord. Theirs was a story far more complicated than either could ever explain, at least without a couple of TARDIS-blue journals as guides.

The daughter of his fiery best friend. He saw Amy in the woman's temper, yes, but also in River's willingness to protect everyone around her, her ability to center him and show him exactly the way he needs, to save his life when he's ready to give it up.

Eleven glanced down and saw the sonic screwdriver resting next to her gun. He almost reached out and took it back but stopped himself. He didn't want this to be it, did not want this to be the last time he would ever run with this woman at his side. How could he send her off to her death? Maybe he wasn't. Maybe she still had plenty of time and simply needed the sonic for upcoming adventures of her own.

He took River's hand in his own. "You said you were leading an expedition this summer. Where to? How soon?"

She looked confused. "We should get the consciousness back to the TARDIS."

"You're right. Come on." He picked up the glass container with the TARDIS consciousness. He noddedd to Ten. "Just give us a mo."

Rose looked concerned. Of course she would think he was leaving her already. "We'll be right back, I promise. We just need to let the TARDIS get started returning to her proper place."

Eleven cradled the precious container close to him as River followed him to their TARDIS. She opened the doors for him. It was still so dark and lifeless. The golden glow emanating within the glass was the only light, casting long shadows around the console room.

"Doctor, how are we going to-"

He cut her off by throwing the container to the floor; the glass shattered. "Well, that's one way of doing it I suppose."

They were both caught breathless watching the living essence of the TARDIS flow around them, shining brightly. It swirled near them each, teasing along their skin. The entire console room glowed gold before the mist began to shoot into the electronic shell around them. Lights flickered on the console and walls.

"She'll need a bit of time to get that all sorted. So, Dr. Song, you were telling me about your upcoming expedition."

"I don't know why you'd be interested," she told him. "It is, afterall, archaeology."

"It doesn't mean I can't be interested in your career," he told her earnestly.

River actually laughed. "And, what about your career, Sweetie? Professional meddler?"

"Meddler," he tried on the word a couple times. "Meddler. I like that. Is that what I am now, a professional meddler?"

She laughed again and the sound was contentment within him. "Now? When have you ever not been a meddler?"

He tapped her nose. "You do enjoy it when I'm clever, though."

"Oh, shut up," she said with a broad smile. "This expedition, it's to the Library. Honestly, I had half a mind not to even take it. There were so many rules and I refuse to sign the man's contract. But, I thought it might be interesting, a chance to see the Library. There is some mystery as to what happened there."

His smile disappeared in a moment. How much longer did she have? Oh, the TARDIS had known. Just like he had always known. He was not ready to say goodbye to her. But he would. He hated goodbyes but he would give her a proper one as best he could. The Doctor would take her to the Singing Towers of Darillium.

He had promised he would never change one line of their history. Not their crawling through the Byzantium. Not the Pandorica, botched dates where they met multiples of each other, or messing with the landing on the moon. He wouldn't change their out-of-time wedding and every adventure they had stolen away together.

The Doctor would complete the story, even if it broke his heart.

"What is it?" River asked, concern etching her face as she looked into his eyes.

Eleven was not sure what she saw there, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that she was here with him right now and he may only have a little bit of time left. He smiled, then. It was a sad smile, full of loss, but full of the memories of life too.

The TARDIS continued to glow brighter around them as he pulled her close to him. "River." Her face was merely inches from his now. He fought back the tears that threatened in his eyes. "River, I love you." He kissed her.

He dropped his worry, his pain, and lost it all in that kiss, letting her warmth and fire consume him, burn away all else until there was nothing but the two of them in the whole of the universe.

River nipped at his lip as he pulled away. "We have a few things we need to take care of," he reminded her.

"Mmm, finish this later?" she asked coyly.

Eleven dropped a kiss to the tip of her nose. "Promise."

River smiled. Grabbing his hand, she led them back to the other TARDIS. Theirs would still need some time to recoup but it should be ready to get them back soon. There was still the question of how they ended up here in the first place that was bothering him.

They entered the other TARDIS where Rose was resting on the jump seat, Ten had his hands around her shoulders, standing behind her.

"Tick, tock!" Timeless said as they walked in. It seemed she was back to her mumbling and muttering but Eleven was keeping a keen eye on her.

Rose captured his current concern. She was leaning back now, looking a bit worn down. They had been on much more strenuous adventures than this. "Everything okay, Rose?"

She only nodded.

River smirked and leaned against the console casually. "When are you going to tell him?" she asked, looking from Rose to Ten.

"Tell me what? Is something wrong?" Ten asked quizzically. Eleven was equally confused what they were on about.

Rose looked into Ten's concerned face and then to River. The archaeologist nodded ever so slightly, encouraging Rose to say whatever it was.

Taking a deep breath, Rose pulled one of Ten's hand from her shoulder and tugged him around so he was facing her. He knelt so he was eye level with her. "What is it?"

She smiled, but she looked nervous. "Well, I wasn't entirely sure how to tell you, so I hadn't yet. But, remember this morning- wow, was that only this morning? But, this morning when you showed me the TARDIS and I said I had a surprise too? One that was even bigger than yours?" Rose took the hand she held of Ten's in her lap and brought it to her belly. "I'm pregnant. Surprise."

Pregnant? Eleven was stumped. It explained why she was tired and not feeling well. But, pregnant?! But, if he was looking lost, that was nothing compared to Ten's stunned expression. The man just stared at his wife.

River chuckled quietly. "And, they call themselves Doctors. As clever as they can be and yet still so thick at times," she said to Rose.

Finally, Ten broke into a broad smile and pulled Rose up into a hug and twirled happily. He laughed as he set her down. "You win. Your surprise even upstaged the TARDIS. And, believe me, Rose Tyler, that is not something easy to do!"

"Congratulations," River said.

She nudged Eleven. "Yeah, congratulations." Pregnant? What did he expect when he had walked away from that beach? That everything would stay exactly as it had? No, much had changed for these two. They were married. They had their own fully grown TARDIS.

And, now they would have their own child.

It was so much. He was happy for them, surely. But, they had changed. They had grown, individually and together.

River was looking at him now. She had known but hadn't said anything. She might've warned him! But, it wasn't her news to tell.

His wife seemed to be trying to gauge his reaction and he was evaluating hers. Had River ever wanted children? It wasn't something that was ever really a possibility for them. They did not live synced time streams. It would not be fair to either of them or a child. There was always the possibility of giving it all up and settling together and doing whatever they could to never part ways but it was all too late now.

And, that broke his hearts.

Timeless looked directly at him from across the room. "Tick, tock, goes the clock. It's time for the Doctor to die."

"What?"

He looked up and saw Rose, Ten, and River all staring at him. "Are you okay?" River whispered to him.

"Sorry. Yes, fine." Timeless was back to staring at the control room floor. The others didn't seem to have even heard her. "Would you two like to see the TARDIS now? I believe she looks a bit different since last either of you saw her."

"I'd love to," Rose said. She seemed to welcome the distraction. Ten still looked dazed but was watching Eleven now, sensing something off.

Rose headed out as River put a hand on the small of Eleven's back. "Are you alright?"she asked.

"No!" Ten's heart-wrenching scream stopped them entirely. They ran out the TARDIS doors behind them.

It was then Eleven saw it. The stone angel was back on the beach. Most likely it had never left, lying in wait for them. What he didn't see was Rose.

Ten stood staring at the weeping angel. The look in his eye worried Eleven, but it was River that spoke up. "Doctor, don't!"

"I will _not_ lose Rose again!" There was a half second when Ten turned to Eleven, with the slightest of nods, the man disappeared.


	9. Chapter 9

Rose sobbed. She couldn't believe she was alone on this beach. Again. Not knowing or caring how long she sat there, she let the cold, wet wind wash over her.

The weeping angels. Rose had been told they sent you back in time. Apparently it had done just that, because she knew that she was in the exact same place she had been only moments before, having told her beloved husband their happy news. Only moments ago there had been a TARDIS mere meters from her. Now there was nothing but the empty sand. It was eerily familiar.

She knew where she was, but not when. And, right now she did not care because none of that mattered without him.

Convinced she was hallucinating, Rose did not even bother to look up when she felt the arms wrap around her. It took him saying her name before she paused in her crying. "Rose."

Her name, in that voice, whispered on the wind. She looked up, disbelieving. Warm brown eyes greeted her and she couldn't believe it when there were tears in his eyes, too. "Hello," he whispered.

After a pause, Rose threw herself on top of the Tenth Doctor, kissing him heartily in the sand. After a few minutes of this, he shifted, rolling over her. "You didn't think I'd let you get away again, did you?" He kissed her deeply again before she could even reply.

They were a mess when they finally bothered to get up from the cold, wet sand. "Is the TARDIS swear filter still functioning?" Rose asked.

"I'm not sure," he told her. "Why?"

"Because I'm so sick of this blinking beach." She laughed. "Yup, still working. Alright, so when are we?"

The part-Time Lord looked baffled. Rose pulled out her mobile. She was not surprised when it started to ring when she dialed, but what she was surprised at was to see ordinary service bars. They had to be close to their usual time zone. Rose called her mother. "Mum… what day is it?"

"Sweetheart," Jackie sounded exasperated on the other end of the phone. "I'm _not _saying happy anniversary again."

Rose put her hand over the receiver. "It's our anniversary."

The Doctor looked stunned for a moment then put up his hands in mock innocence. "The TARDIS was your gift. I didn't get you anything else."

"Well, that would have been fine if someone hadn't gone and _lost_ her," Rose teased.

"Hey, I didn't-"

Rose turned back to the phone. "Hey, Mum? We'll be home for dinner tonight after all. And, we have news."

Now her husband really did look alarmed.

* * *

"And, you are absolutely sure we shouldn't wait here on the beach for them?" Rose questioned him. Ten had explained that eventually River and his other self would show up in their TARDIS. The question was how long they would be.

He shook his head. "It's impossible to tell _exactly _when the angels sent someone back to. They will be able to see the time distortion and roughly gauge it, but they won't risk being hasty and being too far off. We might be here awhile."

The fact that they had been sent to exactly the day they left was odds beyond incredible. They had left after breakfast and would be home in time for dinner. Without their TARDIS. His shoulders slumped.

"Hey," Rose said, rubbing them soothingly. "We'll get her back, alright?"

He nodded at her encouragement. They headed into the nearest town while Rose asked her mum to have Pete send a zeppelin to fetch them.

"Norway?!" he heard her mother yell through the phone. "_What _are you doing in bloody Norway? Is that where that daft man thought it would be a good idea to take you on your _anniversary_? Honestly, some men are asking for a divorce."

With everything else, it was at least good to see that Jackie Tyler had not changed one bit.

They settled in a familiar little cafe in the town. The town was tiny and there weren't exactly many options for them to go to. It was all achingly familiar.

Rose laughed, sitting back and looking around. "I honestly never thought we would be here again. Do you remember the last time we were here? We were so awkward and nervous around each other."

Blimey, did he remember. After one fantastic kiss on the beach, they broke off like complete strangers as Rose worked through the loss of his other self. It would take them weeks to work up to any sort of physical affection again. It had been strange to allow that of himself. The Doctor had denied himself any attraction to Rose Tyler for so long, to be free to move forward had taken some adjustment for both of them.

Oh, but was he happy for it now. "We can try that again… if you want," he teased.

"No, ta!" Rose laughed again. She placed a hand over belly. "I'm quite happy with where we are now." With her other hand she captured one of his and threaded their fingers together.

It wasn't that he had forgotten; it's simply that other things had taken forefront in his mind. But, now that he was reminded, it hit him all at once.

Rose was pregnant with their child.

He was terrified. Sure, they had talked about it, but nothing too serious yet. He knew that she wanted a little one of her own. The child would take on mostly human characteristics, he suspected. He or she would be brilliant, though. How could the child not be, being both his and hers?

Rose squeezed his hand. "Doctor, you've got that panicked look in your eyes. Want to talk about it?"

"It's just a baby. Wow. I'm thrilled. But, I have no idea what to do."

"Look, I'm terrified, too," Rose told him. "This is all new to me. I was around when mum had Tony but I've not exactly had my own before, now have I? You've had children, Doctor! _Grandchildren!_"

"That was almost a millennia ago!"

Rose looked amused. "I'm sure it works about the same way. Now, come on," she said, finishing her tea. "Why don't we have a look about the village, yeah? No sense getting all distracted now. We have seven months before we really need to worry about it."

"Seven?!"

Rose laughed again. "Well, I'm several weeks pregnant, aren't I?"

Well, honestly he hadn't thought about it, but supposed that must be true since she was already showing signs of being tired and sick. He ran a hand down his face. Seven months? "How long have you known?"

"Since yesterday. Let's just say I noticed some things were off so I finally decided to take the test." They walked hand in hand down an old shop-lined lane. It was just after four in the afternoon he sensed.

"Should you see a doctor?" he suggested.

"Says the Doctor," she gave him her tongue-in-teeth smile. "Yeah, I'll see one before the end of my first trimester."

He was a bit at a loss for conversation topics now. Did he want to be a father again? Losing his children, grandchildren, his entire family had left a hole that he did not think could ever be filled again. He never wanted to feel that again.

But looking at Rose so happy beside him, he was glad she was not denied this. Maybe just the one then. And, he would guard him or her with his life. He would protect his family and they would travel all of time and space. Together.

* * *

After several hours of window shopping, Rose was all tuckered out. Happily she rested while they ate dinner. The Doctor still seemed preoccupied and nervous. He would come around, she hoped. It's not as if she had been expecting it either. But she was already in love with the tiny little baby.

Rose wondered if she would have believed any of this if it had been suggested back when they watched the sun explode and destroy the Earth on their first date. No, probably not.

Near the end of dinner, Pete called to tell them their ride was waiting for them. They ordered a car to the city nearby, one large enough to actually have an airfield. After a quick chat with the pilot, they boarded.

Rose and the Doctor hadn't actually ridden a zeppelin since the day they were first brought home from this beach. It was a surreal experience for Rose and she felt a slight panic grow within her. The man beside her stopped and turned. He brushed his fingers along her face and tucked her hair back. Resting his forehead on hers, Rose felt calm wash through her.

He looked down into her eyes. "Better?" he asked.

"Sorry," she mumbled looking down.

The Doctor crooked a finger beneath her chin to bring her eyes up to his. "You have absolutely nothing to apologize for."

She sighed. "If not today, then for those early days, for the moments on this zeppelin and the days that followed when I did not let you in right away." A tear slipped down her cheek. "I was a mess back then."

He brushed it away with his thumb. "No, you were so brave. You crossed dimensions, faced daleks, saved the universe." He looked into her eyes and repeated a line from exactly the last time they had stood aboard this aircraft. "There's no place I'd rather be in all the universe than right here by your side, Rose Tyler."

She tilted up on her tip-toes to lightly kiss him. "Anywhere in this universe is home as long as you're there. Now, enough sappy," she tugged at his hand. "We have a long journey ahead and I remember where the bedroom is on this thing."

* * *

Several hours later they landed outside London. Pete drove to pick them up and bring them back to the mansion for dinner as promised.

"Figured you'd want something fancy, so I had the chef make something real nice," her mother greeted them with a hug. It was fairly late when they got in, Rose was surprised her mum was still up to dinner. Tony greeted them excitedly but made a face at their meal.

Pete, Jackie, Rose, Tony, and the Doctor all settled around the table. It had been several months since they'd been round for a proper dinner and her mother was beaming with happiness. They avoided discussing the TARDIS and simply said that traveling would be put off for now and that they weren't entirely sure how long.

"A few more repairs," Ten said casually. "Just want to be sure it's safe."

"So, what is this news then?" Jackie asked for the third time, this time over dessert. In truth, Rose was putting it off, not entirely sure how her mother would react.

Rose looked to her husband and took his hand. Better to just come out and say it. "Mum. I'm pregnant. We're having a baby."

The silence after the slap across the Doctor's face was only punctuated by Tony asking, "What is pregnant?"

After the initial shock, Jackie and Pete were actually very happy for them. That is, with the assurance that any child of theirs would be perfectly healthy and normal. Emphasis on the last part.

Pete dropped them off at their flat very late into the evening. Rose still couldn't believe it, looking around the place. It was all still here. They had been ready to leave it for traveling, at least for a short time. It was so strange to be back.

The Doctor seemed a little sad too. She knew they had both been looking forward to traveling the stars, but it wasn't an indefinite grounding, right? She tried to remind him of this. Soon, she promised.

* * *

'Soon' was taking a little too long in coming for both of them.

They rested on the couch couch. Rose had a bowl of popcorn resting on her seven-month pregnant belly as they watched a movie. Ten reached in for a piece and she swatted at his hand. "Mine."

"But if I got up to get my own, you'd lose your extra comfy pillow!"

She _was _laying half on him, and for once she _was_ actually comfortable. "Oh, alright," she said, relenting the control of the popcorn bowl. Beaming he stole a fistful.

"So, a name."

Ten groaned. "Not this again."

"We still haven't picked one! It's a little boy so maybe your proper Gallifreyan name?"

"Rose, no one can pronounce that. At least not easily."

"Well, how about John?" she suggested. "You've gone by it long enough here. It would be like naming him after you, but not."

"John Tyler. Hmm. I'll think on it." He snuck more popcorn.

Rose sighed. "Doctor, _when _are they going to bring us our TARDIS back?"

"I admit, I have been wondering the same thing." Over the months they had settled into normal life again. Restlessness still overcame them from time to time as they waited to have their young time and space machine back. "I'm not sure what exactly is taking them so long honestly," he confessed.

"Do you think they are okay?" Rose asked.

"Aw, I'm sure they are fine. You'd be amazed what they've accomplished, I'm sure."

"And, all they have left to accomplish, too," Rose said cheerily but Ten looked off. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "They… don't have any time left to accomplish much."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, this is their last journey. River… is going to die."

"What? But… no!" It had been hard for Rose to see the Doctor with River at first but she had come to see that the other woman was good for the old Time Lord. He needed someone like that in his life. Rose did not want to see him sad and alone ever again.

"It's true," her husband told her sadly. "I told you I only met River Song once. And, it was the day she died."

Rose as at a loss. "Can't we do something? Change it?"

Ten shook his head. "I promised that I would never change our history. Not one line of it. She saved my life that day. I know they have had many adventures since, many days together. But, this one was to be their last."

Rose laid her head back against the Doctor feeling so terribly sad for the other woman and the Doctor, too, who had to know that this was it, his goodbye. It was completely unfair.

She hoped they were okay, wherever they were.


	10. Chapter 10

"Dear, I know what I'm doing," Eleven said, attempting to hush River.

"No. Let me drive. We don't want to get there at the wrong time," she told him.

"Exactly! Which is why I should do the flying!"

Ten and Rose had only disappeared moments ago. Eleven had ushered River back into the young TARDIS after scanning the area with his sonic. Currently, he was attempting to find the right time zone to head back to, but it was tricky at best.

"Roughly, I'd say they were sent back fifty years," River said, reading the Gallifreyan writing on the TARDIS console view screen.

"Yes, but when _exactly_? If I time this incorrectly, we may never see them again. They could already have moved on with life..."

Or, they could be already dead. She could hear his mind racing over the possibility that he didn't want to admit to. Both Rose and Ten faced a mortality that River didn't expect she or her Doctor would have to face any time soon.

The Doctor, she knew, would rather face never seeing them again than their already being gone. Everyone knows that everyone dies. And, the Doctor, who is far older than anyone would probably want to be, has to know that the most.

With the death of his people, and the passing of so many friends and even family, it's no wonder that the one thing that he cannot face is change. Moving on, growing up, her Doctor who looked so young but was truly so old, hurt to see either of these. How must it be to see Rose and Ten again and face those changes?

She longed to ask him, but River had known the Time Lord a long time now and it simply wasn't how he worked. The best way to take care of the Doctor was to keep running with him, to distract him through the worst of it and love him every minute of the way.

Dammit. She loved him enough to ask. "Doctor… tell me. How are you?"

Eleven didn't look up from the controls. "River, not now. We need to get their TARDIS back to them."

River came over and put her hand over his where it rested on the console. "If we leave now, or in five minutes, it won't make a bit of difference. It's a time machine, my love, or have you forgotten? So, how are you?"

"I'm okay," he said, but still wasn't looking at her. "I'm always okay, remember?"

With her other hand, River gently tilted Eleven's face so she could see his eyes. "What is it?"

"This expedition… Don't go."

"What?" she asked. This was not what she was expecting.

"I'm old. I'm selfish. Look at me. Look at all this!" He suddenly exclaimed, gesturing around the TARDIS as if this was proof enough of some wrongdoing. "Look at you. How many days did you rot in that prison?"

"And, how many nights did you save me?" She would not let him hurt himself.

His eyes were tortured. "Not enough."

"Every day with you is more than enough. I live for every moment that I am with you." She meant it, every word. "All of these lives around you, they are made better because of you."

He took the hand that she still had against his cheek and pulled it to his mouth for a kiss. He was still hurting, she knew, but his gaze courted no more argument. River had done what she could.

He turned back to the console. "Roughly fifty years… I'm calculating about forty-eight," he said. Eleven looked into her eyes, like he was seeking something. Approval? River didn't know.

"Let's do it," she told him.

He smiled that child-like grin she loved so much. "Geronimo."

* * *

Ten trailed his fingers along Rose's bare shoulder as she slept on her side. He did not need near as many hours of sleep as she did. There was a book on the nightstand, but he was content to simply listen to her breathe for now. Even after almost four years, he still couldn't believe he was getting to spend his time here with her. Contentment washed through him.

He had closed his eyes and laid his head once again on the pillow when he heard it.

"No…" It was that sound. Oh, it had been far too long since he had heard it. Rose stirred beside him, moved by that noise no matter how long it had been since she'd heard it. Groggily, she looked over at him and they both looked to the bedroom door. They would recognize the sound of the TARDIS anywhere, anywhen.

Ten slipped into his pajama bottoms just in time for Eleven and River to burst through the door. "Hello!" Eleven said proudly.

Rose snatched up the sheets around her while River grabbed Eleven by the collar and Ten shoved him out the door and slammed the door.

Wordlessly, Rose started to dress. She paused as he looked at her. "Well," Ten said with a smile. "It looks like the TARDIS is finally back!"

It was after two in the morning but these days they saw all hours, so after a few minutes they were fully dressed and heading into the main room where River and Eleven were arguing on the couch. Spotting them, they quickly stood.

"Where the hell have you been?" Ten said. He attempted calm; it wasn't quite working.

"Getting here! Look, calculating time streams is not exactly simple, now is it?" Eleven told him. "How long has it been anyway?"

Rose came out from behind Ten, then. Tucked into her arms was a little bundle all wrapped up. "Ten months," she told them quietly and showed them the little baby.

Eleven paused, frozen. Ten could guess fairly accurately what was racing through the other man's mind. He looked from the baby to Rose to Ten. He gave Eleven the slightest of nods. "Hello," he said gently coming closer to their little one.

"John," Rose said quietly. Eleven's head snapped up. Ten realized his older counterpart was responding to the name as if it were his own. Well, they had gone by it enough through the years. Rose laughed. "That's his name. John Tyler."

John opened his little eyes and blinked a few times. They were still bright, baby blue, but Ten suspected they might fade to brown over the next few months.

"Ten months. Blimey."

"We would've been here sooner, but he insisted on driving," River said, cooing at the baby.

"How did you guys end up in our flat?" Rose asked, looking at the TARDIS standing in their front room.

"Well, you weren't on the beach, so we looked you up," Eleven told them simply. "Now, I assume you would like her back?" He flourished to the TARDIS.

As they headed towards it, River whispered to Rose. "Ten months?"

The younger woman sighed. "Sometimes, I could kill that man."

River smirked. "Me, too."

Ten took John from Rose's arms. He wanted to show their son around. Holding him in the crook of his arm he proudly introduced the TARDIS console. Rose looked over at him. "I don't think he's quite ready to fly her yet, love."

"Oh, don't listen to her!" he told John. "We'll have you flying her in no time."

It was then that he noticed Timeless still standing near the wall of the TARDIS. "Rose," he said, handing John off to her, never taking his eyes off the mumbling girl.

"I believe it is about time we parted ways," Ten told the others.

Eleven piloted the TARDIS into the time vortex. With a whooshing of the engines they landed within feet of the much older TARDIS.

"But, how are we going to get back to our universe?" River asked.

Ten shook his head. "You were never out of your universe. We're all just walking a crack, remember? We can see and hear each other but never touch."

"But those creatures," Rose said. "Those angels. They were definitely here. They sent us back in time!"

Ten was looking at Eleven now. "They have gotten through. And, they aren't the only ones."

"Timeless," Eleven said.

Ten nodded. "You carried her. I helped her up. Like the weeping angels, Timeless appears to be residing in both." He took a deep breath. It had been bothering him for months now, but finally, he really understood. "Do you remember when you told me your age and you got it wrong at first?"

Eleven looked confused. "So?"

"Some of it was leaking through," Ten told him.

"It's Christmas…" Timeless whispered.

Ten watched as Eleven reeled at that. "Christmas," River whispered. "You told me that it was Christmas when you came to see me."

"I did?" Eleven mused.

"The consciousness is clinging to you because you are what is most familiar," Ten told him.

"I don't understand," Rose said.

"Timeless exists in both universes, gives off readings similar to that of the TARDIS, and found us," Eleven whispered.

"Sometimes all we want to do is close the final chapter, see what actually happened. You start to wonder, were they happy?" Ten looked to himself Rose. Turning to glance at River, he said, "What if I had a chance to live one final adventure with someone I cared most about again?"

Timeless began to whisper. "So many lost voices whispering to me for so long. A chorus, a melody, a song! The warm light of a crack in the wall, hope again for it all. What else could get through? If I had the chance, could I come see you, you, and you?" Timeless looked to them each in turn.

"And, then I found it. I am not here, but there. I can see and feel again, my past. Did I do right?" Timeless finished her mumbling. "A crack in the wall… Tick, tock, goes the clock. The Doctor's time to die."

Ten looked at Timeless in sympathy. "You're just the consciousness but you could still have one final adventure, eh? Before the end, before you die."

Eleven looked down. He did seem to understand now and nodded silently to Ten.

River looked between them and whispered the words she had just heard. "The Doctor's time to die." Understanding came over her face, but sadness too. "I think I finally understand," she said and turned her sonic on Timeless.


	11. Chapter 11-The End

**A/N: Because it all had to end on the 11th.**

* * *

With a whir of River's sonic screwdriver, they stood amazed as young Timeless changed. The girl looked down at her hands, a golden energy enveloped them and swirled around her like a glowing mist until she was consumed entirely. Standing in the place she had been was an elderly man in a long tweed jacket and vest. He was immediately recognizable as the young Doctor they had been running with, only aged so very far.

"Timeless." The old Doctor's voice nearly broke. "Timeless because I am literally without time. It has come to the end. Thirteen lives lived."

Ten looked to Rose. "Timeless is the consciousness of the dying Doctor, just reliving one adventure and crashing another. Drawing two universes together without destroying either. Bit dangerous."

Rose didn't even have words as the old Doctor looked sadly to them. "All things have to come to an end. All things must die."

River looked from her young Doctor to this old one. She could see the similarities, they all could. At least in these final moments she was allowed to offer him some comfort. She moved towards him, steps so slow. She laid her right hand on the old Doctor's face. "Thirteen lives lived…" she repeated his words.

Rose stepped forward then, too. "Thirteen lives loved."

"You are never alone."

One by one every incarnation the Doctor ever lived appeared behind him. He chuckled softly. "Ha. Not the best of company, this lot."

"Look again," Rose whispered.

Around them people began to appear. There was Rose and River already in the space but then Amy and Rory, too. Donna, Jack, Martha, Sarah Jane Smith, even Mickey the idiot. The Doctor had to smile.

But, it didn't stop there. There was Grace, Mel, Ace. Peri, Vislor, Tegan, Nyssa, Adric. Ramona, Leela. Jo, Liz, Zoe, Victoria. Steven, Ian, Barbara. Susan. And so, so many more.

The Doctor's wife, his children, his grandchildren all stood around him.

"A life_ loved_," Rose Tyler repeated.

"Doctor."

The old Doctor turned to the newcomer who had said his name. Dark hair and eyes. "Clara."

She smiled. "Hello, Doctor."

He looked into her tear-filled eyes and then looked to them all. "Times change, and so must I… We're all different people, all through our lives. And that's okay, that's good, you've got to keep moving, so long as you remember all the people you used to be."

The old Doctor looked at all the men standing behind him. Every one representing a life he lived. I life he loved and was loved in return.

"I will not forget one line of this. Not one day. I swear. _I will always remember when the Doctor was me_."

Tears slipped down Clara's face as she took the Doctor's hand. They turned together and everyone around them disappeared except for the five that had already been standing there.

With a final, fond farewell River and Eleven slipped back into their TARDIS, off to see the Singing Towers of Darillium as Rose and Ten took John on his very first adventure.

-The End-

* * *

**A/N: Thank you everyone for taking the time to read! I really do appreciate it. I apologize if this got way too confusing at the end. Sometimes things make much more sense in my head, but I hope you were able to enjoy anyway!**

**Farewell Eleven. You shall be missed.**

**_"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another._**** " Anatole France**


End file.
